Push Me
by seren23
Summary: Is Lindsay ready to move forward? And what causes a healthy 17 year old to die of a sudden heart attack? DL
1. Chapter 1

**Push Me**

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Belongs to CBS and all of those people who have a lot more money than I do.

**Spoilers: **Post-Episode 3.19 A Daze of Wine and Roaches

**Summary: **Is Lindsay ready to move forward? And what causes a healthy 17 year old to die of a sudden heart attack? DL

**Chapter 1 **

Lindsay woke up gasping and reaching out and completely unsure of where she was. She remained sitting and blinked back tears and sleep. As her eyes grew accustomed to the darkness she listened to sounds that filtered through her confused mind. Cars. A siren in the distance. And the unmistakable thrum of a big city. New York. She is in her apartment in New York. Lindsay took a deep breath and wiped her eyes, and then she reached for the glass of water on her bedside table. She flips on her lamp and takes a sip. Then another sip.

New York. Not Montana. "Yeah," she thinks. "That's okay."

She looked at the clock and groans. 4:30 a.m.

"God," she mused as she untangled her legs from her sheets. "What I wouldn't give for 8 hours of sleep?"

Lindsay padded down the hall to her kitchen. "Hell, at this point I'll settle for 6," she thought. "6 hours of uninterrupted dreamless sleep."

"Sounds glorious doesn't it?" she said out loud to her black and white polka-dotted kettle. She shook her head and turned on the stove. "Nice Monroe, talking to appliances. What's next? 13 cats?"

She turned on the tap and began to fill the kettle up. As she watched the water fill the kettle she began to remember her dream. Lindsay violently jerked her hand and water splasheed onto the side of the kettle. She snapped the water off and placed the kettle on the burner. The displaced water sizzled as the burner heated up. She closed her eyes.

_There was blood. There was always so much blood and high-pitched screams that pierced her heart. And the sound of running water. She is back in that bathroom crouched on the floor listening to the screams of her friends. She looks up at the faucet still running and the water turns pink and then crimson with blood. It spills over the sides of the sink and onto the floor. She reaches out to pull herself up and can't move. No one is there to help her. She is alone and the water-blood just. won't. stop._

She had been so sure that after the trial, the nightmares would stop. So, so sure that after facing that bastard and looking him in the eyes as he was condemned to life in prison, she would be free. Free to move on with her life.

"But they haven't stopped," she thought as she wrenched open her cabinet and grabbed the first box of tea she found. "Damn it."

She grabbed her mug from the drying rack and turned around to pick up the kettle before it starts to whistle. Lindsay fixed her tea and holds it up to her chin and just breathes in the aroma. Then she wandered into her living room and headed towards the window.

It's a small apartment. Practically a studio. The elevator in the building has never actually worked, the ac unit drips something fierce, the heater occasionally smells like something is burning, and her bathroom seems to tilt to one side. But she loves it. The hardwood floors under her feet and the window that looks over the community garden in the back just have a way of soothing her mind. Lindsay squinted trying to make out the shapes in the garden.

"Looks like Antoine planted some tomatoes," she noticed. "Wonder what I could trade him for some? And… ooh, are those pepper plants?"

The little voice in the back of her head concurs with her thoughts, 'That's right Monroe. Distract yourself. Think about anything else, don't dwell on the dreams.'

Lindsay sipped her tea and sank into her armchair. Spring is just around the corner and she can't wait. She is so tired of thick socks and hats that flatten her hair. She is so ready for short sleeves and bare feet.

"Maybe I should have a cook-out soon? Invite people in the building like last time," she thought. "Maybe even invite the folks at the lab. Danny would get a kick out of Tony's vegan lasagne. Wonder if he'd think it was sacrilegious?"

She stops her mug halfway to her lips. Should she think about Danny? Sparkling blue eyes behind glasses and a green shirt pulled taunt across shoulders flash in her mind.

Lindsay smirked and sank even lower in her chair, curling her fingers around her mug.

"Yeah," she thought. "I can think about Danny."

Nothing more happened in Montana after he pulled her from the courtroom and away from the reporters. Nothing really could. She had to stay to be present for the sentencing and he was due to fly back to New York the following afternoon. But they did talk. They found an all night diner and talked all the way through dinner, an unholy amount of coffee, and finally breakfast. Lindsay told him everything. How she left Bozeman to get away from the memories and to start over. How distraught mothers will always make her nauseous. How she never slept more than 5 hours a night due to bad dreams. How unbelievably sorry she was for standing him up. And how even though she couldn't wait to get back to New York and to her job, she didn't know what she was going to do with herself.

Danny just smiled at her and let her talk. He asked questions and reassured her that she was going to be alright. Then he talked about the cases she'd missed. And when he scolded her for not giving him a heads up about Mac and the ME, Lindsay just laughed.

Halfway through breakfast she asked him for how long had he been awake he mumbled something like 36 hours. Her jaw dropped and she physically pulled him out of the diner and took him to her hotel room. Still running on adrenalin and relief she just pushed him onto her bed and told him she'd be back to take him to the airport after her meeting with the attorney. Danny was too exhausted to argue and slept while she went back to the courthouse.

A few hours later, after she had collected him from her room, Lindsay walked Danny into the airport and fidgeted as he collected his boarding pass.

She walked him as far as she could and then they just stood looking at each other.

"Look, Linds, I know this has been rough and you don't know where your head is exactly," Danny said. "But I want you to know that nothin's changed on my end. I'm interested in seein' where this could go, okay?"

"Okay," Lindsay said nodding her head. "I'm good with that. I think I just need some time to… I don't know… adjust."

Danny nodded. "Okay. I won't push you, I promise."

Lindsay smiled. "I know you won't."

He pulled her into his arms and they hugged for what felt like forever and yet not really long enough. Lord knew that the warmth and energy from that hug alone carried Lindsay through the following days and nights.

When it was over, Lindsay quickly pecked Danny's cheek. He grinned and headed towards his gate. Lindsay headed towards the exit. Then she heard a shout.

"Hey Montana!"

She and nearly everyone else in the airport whirled around.

"So I know pushin's out," Danny called to her. "But what about a nudge every now and then?"

The huge grin on her face answered that question.

That was a month ago. And things were good. Cases were piling up and she was reminded everyday how much she really liked the city and how much she loved her job. The team at the lab welcomed her back with open arms and complete support. And things were, well…um

"Comfortable," Lindsay said out loud to her apartment.

She sighed and took a sip and grimaced at the lukewarm tea. Danny and she were fine really. They talked when they could and grabbed a cup of coffee every now and then. They still worked really well together and the flirtatious teasing that had always been present was back in full force.

"But how on earth," Lindsay wondered as she got out of the chair, "do you tell the guy you've stood up and given the 'it's not you it's me' speech to, who flew across the country to see you and who has promised to not push you until you're ready to, well…"

"Push!" Lindsay yelled. Then she groaned and thunked her mug into her sink. "You are such a twit."

Just as she contemplated another cup of tea she heard her cell ringing. Lindsay scurried to her bedroom to answer.

"Monroe," she answered.

"Lindsay," Mac's voice said. "We've got a DB on the outskirts of Central Park West. Flack's already there and Danny's on his way to pick you up."

Lindsay's eyes glanced towards her clock. 5:30 a.m.

"No problem," she said grabbing some clothes out of her closet. "Do you know how far away Danny is?"

"I think he said he'd be at your place in about 30 to 40 minutes depending on traffic," her boss informed her. "See you at the lab when you finish at the park."

"Sure thing Mac," Lindsay said.

Mac hung up and Lindsay raced to her bathroom.

She was pulling her boots on when the buzzer sounded. She hopped to the door and pressed the button to call down,

"Hey Danny, I'll be down in a sec okay?"

Silence. And then,

"Montana! Never announce yourself like that without checkin' who's there. This ain't the country. And hurry up will ya! I'm double parked."

Lindsay rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Hold your horses cowboy!"

She grabbed her kit and keys and headed out the door.

_Author's Note: Hello! This is not my first fic, but it is my first foray into CSI: NY. I know there was a lot of exposition in this chapter, but I do promise a case and plot soon. Please let me know what you think. Good, bad, okay, so-so, grammar problems, continuity, you name it; I want to hear about it. I have most of the chapters planned and written, so hopefully updates will be fairly regular. Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Push Me  
**  
**Genre:** Romance/Drama

**Spoilers:** Post-Episode 3.19 A Daze of Wine and Roaches

**Rating:** T

**Chapter 2**

Lindsay hurried down the building's stairs to meet Danny outside. Her neighbor Jack was just entering the lobby as she exited the stairway. She smiled at the sight of him.

"Hey dollface," Jack said brightly. "Is that gorgeous speciman of a man leaning up against a standard-issue SUV yours? And if he isn't, why not and can I have piece?"

Lindsay laughed. Leave it to Jack to be this cheerful and on the pull at stupid o'clock in the morning.

"Well, he's not mine but I'm fairly sure that he doesn't really swing your way," she told him. "However, I've been wrong about these things in the past, so be my guest."

"You're a peach Linds," Jack said. "Work day starting kinda early isn't it?"

"Look who's talking!" she retorted as she reached the entrance. "Work day ending a bit late?"

"Honey, I'm in show business," Jack grinned. "My work is never done until everyone is entertained. Besides we open this weekend. I'm putting a couple of tickets in your box. And I fully expect to see you there. And no ditching me for dead bodies on subways, I'm still hurt."

Lindsay leaned her back against the door and began to push it to exit. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. And I apologized for that you know."

"Just give me sexy out there's digits and maybe a picture or two and we'll call it even," he called to her.

"You got it!" she said leaving the building. Lindsay turned around still chuckling and caught sight of Danny. Who was watching her. Jack was right. Gorgeous. She straightened and headed towards the SUV, subtly checking him out.

"Illegal," she thought as she took in the gray button-down and slim jeans. "The man should be declared illegal."

She approached the side of the car and finally met his face, which was smirking.

"See something you like Montana?" he said opening the door for her.

Crap. Guess she wasn't as subtle as she thought.

Instead of delivering any one of the numerous quips she had in store for moments like these, Lindsay flushed and just got in the car. Danny chuckled and shut the door.

"Idiot," she thought. "You are a 28 year old woman. You are intelligent and rational. You are not a 13 year old who is too shy to talk to her cute lab partner. Suck it up Monroe and grow up."

Danny started the car and pulled onto the road.

"Lovely mornin' isn't it?" he said drily. Lindsay craned her head to look up at the sky. The sun was rising, but the clouds were thick and heavy.

"Oh, yeah, beautiful," she said. "Great way to start a Tuesday. Hope the rain holds until we're done."

"Hey, don't jinx us," he warned and then yawned widely.

Lindsay smirked. "Late night Messer?"

"More like early morning," Danny said. "These dead people really need to have more respect for a man's sleep. How about you? Mac wake you up?"

"No, I was up already," she broke off biting her lip. Lindsay felt him glance at her. She looked out the window.

"Bad dreams?" he said casually.

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah."

"Yeah," he said in understanding.

The silence afterwards should have been awkward. But it wasn't. Lindsay relaxed in her seat and watched as the building become more and more upscale as they headed towards the park. Danny spotted the patrol cars on the side of the road and pulled over next to them. The two CSI's got out of the car, kits in hand and headed towards the patrolman at the beginning of the path that led into the park. Lindsay glanced up at the sky. The air felt heavy and humid. She stopped on the sidewalk and looked at the buildings around the area of Central Park. Large brownstones with doormen and small cafes and shops lined the street. It was still early, but people were beginning to bustle about as they headed to work. A couple of joggers and dogwalkers passed by. Hardly anyone gave the detectives a second glance. Lindsay furrowed her brow and looked around even more. Danny was halfway to the path when he noticed that she wasn't next to him.

"Something up?" he asked as he walked up next to her. Lindsay was still looking confused and his brow furrowed in response.

"No," she said. "Not really. Just. I don't know. Something seems off."

Danny looked around too. "Early morning, overcast day. Yeah, feels a little weird."

Lindsay glanced at him. "Are you just saying that or do you really feel it too?'

Danny caught her eyes. "Hey, I feel it too."

They stared at each other for a few seconds and Lindsay began to wonder if they had somehow changed the subject without her knowing. She cleared her throat.

"Flack's waiting," she said. Danny smiled a little.

"Yeah," he said. They caught up with the patrolman and headed into the park.

The area where the body was lying was about 50 feet from the edge of the park and very close to the path. The section was already cordoned off with yellow police tape. By some unspoken agreement, Lindsay got ready to take pictures while Danny took out his notebook. Detective Flack was just down the path talking to a distraught young blonde woman in a track suit. He nodded to her and headed towards the CSIs.

"Messer, Lindsay," Detective Flack greeted them. "Nice of you to make it this fine morn'."

Danny snorted. "Morn'? Hey Flack, your Irish is showing. And why am I Messer and she's Lindsay?"

"Cause she's cuter than you are," Flack retorted.

"You know," Danny said as he crossed under the yellow tape and held it up for Lindsay. "Sometimes, those words of yours, they hurt."

Lindsay smiled a little and shook her head at the two of them. She looked at the scene and asked, "If you boys are done, what have we got?"

"Unidentified white male, late teens with no obvious cause of death," Flack stated as he gestured to the body.

Lindsay stared at the body in front of her. He was certainly young and if he had been standing she would have placed him at around 5 feet 10 inches. He was wearing jeans, a t-shirt with some kind of writing and design on it, and a black pair of Converses. His hair was dark brown and slightly wavy and his coloring seemed to be naturally pale. There was a large bruise on the left side of his head, the deepest bruising pooled near his temple. His eyes were closed and he was lying flat on his back, arms extended down the length of his body.

"Other than that wound on his head," Danny began. "I don't see any signs of a struggle." He looked around the area. "The shrubs around the body are intact, so this wasn't the kill site."

Lindsay took pictures of the body and went to move closer, but stopped and looked down.

"Has anyone else stepped near the body?" she gestured to the ground and the loose dirt hoping to get a print.

"Negative," Flack answered. "And actually that's something. The patrolman that responded to the call made sure not to touch him and stated that the ground looked like it had been brushed over. There were no footprints."

"Very considerate of them," Danny said sarcastically. "They cleaned up after themselves."

He narrowed his eyes and couched down next to the body looking at the wound.

"No blood and it's only a bruise really," he said. "Definitely not a fatal blow. Looks like someone slammed something upside his head. Can't really tell what."

Lindsay crouched next to Danny and looked. "Maybe he was shoved against something and hit his head?" she posited.

"I don't know," he said. "The bruising seems pretty exact, like it was a deliberate blow against the head."

Lindsay nodded and continued to take pictures. Danny asked Flack, "So who found him?"

"He was found by a, uh, Miss Hilton," Flack answered.

Both Danny and Lindsay looked at him.

"Yeah, no relation," Flack assured them. "She was jogging and stopped to fix her ipod when she saw the body. That was at 5:00 a.m."

"Kinda early for a run isn't it?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, apparently her job starts at 7, she comes this way everyday," Flack said. "Guy has no id on him that we could see. No wallet or watch, nothing."

Danny frowned and stood up. "Yeah, but this is obviously not a mugging. Any identifying marks at all?"

"Well, they're designer jeans and those Converses are actually top of the line," Lindsay said. "He's pretty clean and aside from being dead, he looks healthy enough. I'm going to go with middle to upper-middle class kid."

Danny and Lindsay continued to process the scene. True enough, the area had been brushed over with a branch they found thrown a few feet away from the body. They both cringed at the prospect of dusting for fingerprints. No other obvious trace was found near the body. When they were finished, Danny headed back to the car to store the large branch. Flack joined Lindsay at the body.

She looked at the wound again and said, "You know, I'm placing time of death within the last 8 hours or so. Maybe even less than that."

Flack nodded. "I'd agree with that Lindsay. This part of the park gets a lot of foot traffic, someone had to have seen something. He hasn't been here long." He sighed. "I'd like an id though. Anything stand out to you?"

The CSI studied the body. Lindsay leaned over to get a better view of the t-shirt. The design was a mixture of black, blue, and yellow lines and patterns. "What kind of design is that?" she said almost to herself. "It's kind of like a technicolor Rorshach test."

"Fractals," Danny said coming up behind them. Lindsay and Flack looked at him. "It's a fractal pattern. You know a geometric shape that can be subdivided in parts, each of which is approximately a reduced-size copy of the whole, so when you look at the fractal at different size scales it appears similar despite the size change."

"Just when I thought the man couldn't get any hotter," Lindsay thought. "He has to go and talk advanced mathematics. I could jump him right now." Slightly startled at the thought, Lindsay turned her head away and looked back at the body hoping neither man noticed her flushed face. When she noticed something herself, she leaned closer to the body.

"Well, thanks for the info Professor," Flack said. "But how does that help?"

"Because, the colors are school colors," Lindsay said pointing to the lettering at the edge of the fractal. "See, KHS. Could stand for K-something High School."

She faced the men. "I think Danny's right and these are fractals that represent one of the school's clubs. Maybe the science or math club. Those groups always have t-shirts made for competitions."

"And just how many of these t-shirts did you have Montana?" Danny asked with a glint in his eye. "And do you still have them?"

"Only for math, science, softball, and French club," Lindsay replied primly. "It looks good on your transcript."

Flack chuckled and Danny just smirked.

"Well," Flack said. "That gives me something to go on. I'll check for high schools with a K and has these for school colors."

"He wasn't moved far," Danny said. "I bet it's in the immediate area. Let us know what you find."

Flack nodded and moved aside for the Medical Examiners to enter the area and load the body. Danny looked over at Lindsay.

"Let's get to the lab and begin to process his clothes, maybe the ME will come up with something more definitive for COD," he told her.

Lindsay nodded watching the ME's begin their part of the job. Danny and she loaded up their cases and headed towards the SUV.

"Hungry?" Danny said cautiously.

Lindsay cringed internally and berated herself for being such an ice queen in the past. "Poor guy's afraid I'll take his head off for asking if I want to eat."

Outwardly she smiled at him. "Starved. I haven't eaten yet."

Danny smiled at her. The big smile that crinkled his eyes. "Feel like a fresh bagel with lox and way too much cream cheese?"

"As long as there's a massive cup of coffee along with it," Lindsay answered.

"Now you're talkin'," Danny said as they got in the car.

They parked near the cafe a few blocks from the lab and Danny waited in the car as Lindsay ran into collect their food. She returned to the car with two coffees and their bagels. Danny pointed the car in the direction of the lab garages.

Lindsay was just taking a sip of coffee when Danny asked, "So, do you still have your softball uniform?"

Needless to say, Lindsay promptly burned her tongue.

_**A/N:** Any scientific jargon came from Wikipedia and I will admit to using a line from Friends, I just couldn't help it. The only knowledge I have about crime scenes comes from way too much TV and Kathy Reichs. Please let me know if I'm writing complete impossibilities. Hope you enjoy! Please review, it makes me smile!  
_


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Push Me  
**  
**Genre:** Romance/Drama

**Spoilers:** Post-Episode 3.19 A Daze of Wine and Roaches

**Rating:** T

AN: The Angelika is an actual theatre in New York, it is very, very cool and I definitely recommend a visit and no infringement on the establishment is intended. Again, any scientific stuff was found via Google. But again, please let me know if I'm off the mark completely.

Thank you so, so much to everyone who has reviewed here and at the Messermontana community on Livejournal. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. It really encourages me to keep going.

**Chapter 3**

Lindsay began to lay out the clothes the young man found in Central Park had been wearing onto the table. She carefully placed his shoes on their sides mentally telling herself to be sure to check the soles for any kind of debris. She had just stretched the jeans out when she heard voices in the corridor. Lindsay turned around to face Danny and Mac.

"We're waiting on Flack to get us some id on the kid and the ME has scheduled the preliminary exam for this afternoon," Danny told Mac. "We'll try to wait for a positive id before the full autopsy."

Mac nodded and looked at Lindsay. "Are these his clothes?"

"Yes," she said. "I know we can't do much without a positive id, but we may find something to narrow down the search. I was about to check the pockets and shoes. We may get lucky and find a print somewhere."

"Alright, I'll leave you two to it," their boss said. "I'll be at the courthouse for most of the day. But, keep me posted about any identification that comes up."

Danny and Lindsay assured him they would and Mac left the room. Lindsay turned back to the evidence and Danny went to put his lab coat on and then joined her at the table. He leaned over slightly to look at the clothes. Lindsay could feel the natural warmth his body exuded and something in her stomach curled and then relaxed. Danny smiled a little to himself.

"How's your tongue?" Danny asked nonchalantly.

Lindsay glared at him. "Just fine, thanks very much."

"It was just a question," Danny said raising his hands in a show of innocence.

Lindsay hmphed and said, "Do you want pockets or shoes?"

"I'll take shoes for $600 Alex," Danny said picking up a black Converse. They began to process, their movements precise and thoughtful.

She carefully reached into each jeans pocket. She found a ticket stub in the back pocket. It was a movie pass from the Angelika theatre with previous day's date and a time stamp of 8:15 p.m.

"Well, I think we know what our vic was up to last night," she said.

Danny looked up from the shoe he was examining and she held up the ticket.

"What theatre?" Danny asked.

"The Angelika," she said. "It's in SoHo, mainly art and indie films. Sometimes they do revivals, cult classics, that sort of thing."

"How do you know?" Danny asked slightly bewildered.

Lindsay blushed and said, "I've been a few times with my neighbour."

"Huh," Danny said. "Didn't really peg you for an indie film kinda girl Montana."

"I'm open to lots of things," she shrugged.

"That right?" Danny said staring at her.

Lindsay stared back at him. Her mouth went slightly dry at the look in his eye. How did the subject keep changing like this?

"Yeah," she said softly. "That's right."

Danny raised his eyebrows and a corner of his mouth quirked a bit.

"I'll keep that in mind," he told her. And the moment was gone and Lindsay didn't know if she was relieved or disappointed.

"I'm going to see if I can get any prints off of this," she said.

"Yeah, I think I may have found some kind of grit in the bottom of his shoes," Danny said. "Check this out."

He held out the shoe, Lindsay picked up a magnifying glass and looked at what he was indicating. In the creases of the sole was a shiny, gritty, black substance.

"Looks a bit like sand. I'll keep on this and run an analysis. Hopefully, Sid will have something for us in a couple of hours," Danny said.

Lindsay nodded and they headed in their separate directions.

* * *

Around lunchtime Lindsay found herself with a pounding head in the break room glaring at the coffee pot. To clarify, glaring at the empty coffee pot. And the empty coffee can next to it. The harder she glared the more her head hurt. She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes even more. It was this position that Stella found her in.

"Hey Lindsay," she said. Then she noticed the look on Lindsay's face. "Um, what did the coffee pot do?"

Lindsay looked over at her and then pointedly back at the coffee pot. Stella walked over and stood next to her and looked at the empty coffee pot. And then the empty can.

"Oh," Stella said. "Well, that's not good."

"We work in a building full of police officers," Lindsay said. "How does the NYPD run out of coffee? Isn't that against the law somewhere?"

"Yes, it is," Stella said. "And if it isn't it damn well should be. How did this happen?"

The two women continued to stare at the empty coffee pot.

"I have a headache," Lindsay stated.

"So do I," Stella said.

They stared even harder.

"Hey Montana," Danny called. "I found out what that stuff was in the bottom of our vic's shoes…"

He trailed off when he noticed the glares directed towards him. His eyes widened when he saw Lindsay's eyes narrow and focus on his right hand.

"What is that?" she asked.

"Um, coffee?" he said uncertainly.

"From where exactly?" Stella demanded.

Danny swallowed. "Third floor, we're uh, out on this floor, so, I uh, went down there…?"

The women glared at him.

"And it didn't occur to you to bring back some coffee grounds to refill our supply?" Stella asked quietly.

"Um, no," he said. "They didn't have much left. They said that more would be here soon, something was up with the cleaning staff and that's why they ran out…"

He trailed off again. The women just kept staring at him. He cleared his throat.

"I figured you might want some, so I brought you a cup Mont... uh Lindsay," he said. "It's, uh, on your desk. I'm sorry I didn't get you any Stella, I didn't know you were back and if I had known I'm sure I would have brought you some, but they only had enough for two cups and…I think I'll just be quiet now."

Lindsay's face relaxed into a smile at Danny's rambling and glanced at Stella who was by this time trying not to laugh.

"Danny, it's okay," Stella reassured him as she headed out the door. "I'll find some somewhere. Lindsay, enjoy your coffee. I'll catch up with you later."

"Bye Stella," Lindsay said following her to the door. She looked up at Danny. "Did you really bring me a cup?"

Danny still looked nervous but followed her to their office. "Ah, yeah, little milk, little sugar, right?"

Lindsay sat down at her desk and picked up the cup that was still steaming. She held it under her nose and inhaled. She took a sip and hummed happily.

"Was it good for you too?" Danny's voice cut into her caffeine bliss. Lindsay looked over at him expecting a smirk. She wasn't prepared for the intense look on his face.

"Oh, uh, yeah," she said feeling a blush creep over her face. "It's great."

She watched him raise his own cup of coffee to his lips and take a sip. And for the second time that day, her mouth went dry.

"Say something," she thought to herself. "Say something. Anything. Talk about results. Or baseball. Stop staring at his lips. Oh for the love of God, say something!"

Danny just stared right back at her and continued to drink his coffee. No one said anything. Lindsay sipped at her coffee her eyes never leaving Danny's face. She could feel the air around them charge and swirl with energy. And something deep inside of her settled. For once, it wasn't the usual sexually charged tension that surrounded them. It was something else. Something calmer and gentler. Lindsay felt...content. Relaxed. Her head ceased pounding and she began to smile. Danny smiled slowly in response.

"This is why," Lindsay thought. "This is why I want to know him. Why I want him near. No one has ever made me feel this--"

"Hey detectives!" Flack said coming into their office. "We got…"

Don stopped and looked at Danny and Lindsay who both blushed and frantically tried to look busy.

"Did I interrupt something here?" he asked with a grin.

Lindsay flushed and Danny glared at him and asked, "What do you got?"

"I got a name and an address," he said still grinning.

The CSI's looked at him.

"Well?" Lindsay demanded. "Do we have to guess?"

"Matthew Roberts," Flack told them handing the file to Danny. "17 years old, a senior at Kennedy High School. Only child, parents are Gary and Jessica Roberts. That's his transcript and home information. You were right about the t-shirt Linds, he belonged to the Math Club, Latin Club, National Honor Society, Science Bowl, Brain Bowl, the list just goes on. I've put in a call to the parents and they'll be here soon to id the body."

"Good work," Lindsay said getting out of her chair to stand behind Danny and read over his shoulder. She unconsciously placed her hand on the back of the chair and her fingers just barely grazed Danny's back.

"Wow," she said. "All advanced placement classes. Even his electives are serious academic subjects."

"Yeah, no band or sports or anything," Danny noticed. "And look at all those extracurriculars. Damn! How many clubs are there?"

"According to the school he was in the top of the top of the class," Flack said. "Even in the running with a few other kids for valedictorian."

Danny laid the file on his desk and leaned back in his chair, effectively trapping Lindsay's fingers between his back and the chair. Lindsay swallowed at the rush of blood that surged to her face.

"We get anything off his clothes?" Flack asked. "I'd like to be able to tell his parents we have a lead."

"Oh, um, I found a movie ticket stub from the Angelika theatre dated for yesterday," Lindsay said trying to concentrate and not run her fingers over Danny's shoulders. "The film started at 8:15 last night. I wasn't able to get any prints off of it, but hopefully we can confirm that with his parents."

"Oh yeah and I got some trace from the bottom of his shoes," Danny said leaning forward to grab the file. Lindsay quickly pulled her fingers from his chair. "That dark grit is actually silica aggregates coated in resin."

He looked up at Lindsay and Flack, "It was fish tank gravel."

"How did our vic end up stepping in fish tank gravel?" Flack asked. "Where did that come from?"

His cell phone rang and he turned away to answer.

Danny swung his chair around to look at Lindsay. She was standing with a confused look on her face. He watched as the thoughts swirled around her head.

"So, essentially we have a kid that went to the movies last night around 8:00 p.m., and then was killed sometime between then and at least 5:00 a.m. this morning. But not in the place where his body was found," Lindsay thought out loud. "And in between those times, he managed to step in fish tank gravel and get a blow against the face."

She met Danny's eyes. "What did he get up to last night?"

Danny opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when Flack closed his phone with a snap.

"That was the ME's office," he said. "Kid's parents are here. Who wants to come with?"

Danny automatically started to get up.

"No, its okay Danny," Lindsay said. "I'll go."

He looked at her. "Are you sure Montana? I don't mind."

Lindsay smiled at him. "I know. I want to go."

Something in her eyes seemed to reassure him and he just nodded.

"I'll be here and see if I can track down dealers for this kind of gravel," he said.

"After you," Flack said to Lindsay as they headed out of the office.

* * *

Matthew Roberts' parents looked uncomfortable and out of place in the hallway outside the exam room. The first thing Lindsay noticed about them was the fact that they were immaculately dressed and had a polished look about them. Mr. Roberts had on a dark suit and his wife complimented him with a navy blue pantsuit. All in all, their combined suits were probably worth at least three of Lindsay's paychecks. The next thing she noticed was that even though they looked uncomfortable, she didn't sense any of the overwhelming sadness that usually accompanied families as they came to identify a loved one. She shook it off and stood back a little as Flack approached the Roberts.

"Mr. and Mrs. Roberts?" he asked gently. "I'm Detective Don Flack, this is Detective Lindsay Monroe. We're very sorry to put you through this, but we believe we found your son Matthew's body this morning."

He paused as Mrs. Roberts sucked in a breath.

"We need you to identify the body," he continued. "But please, take your time."

Mr. Roberts mechanically put an arm around his wife. "Let's go Jessica; we need to see if it's Matthew."

Jessica Roberts nodded stiffly and pursed her lips. She allowed her husband to steer her into the exam room Flack indicated. Lindsay followed quietly. The body was lying on the exam table covered with a white sheet. The medical examiner, Sid Hammerback was standing next to it. He nodded to Flack and Lindsay and then focused his attention to the Roberts.

"Whenever you are ready," Sid said quietly.

"Go ahead," Mrs. Roberts said in a firm voice.

Sid pulled the sheet back. The Roberts looked over the body and both seemed to deflate.

Mr. Roberts nodded. "Yes," he said in a clear voice. "That's our son."

Sid nodded. "I'm very sorry."

Mrs. Roberts shook her head. "He was going to go to Yale," she said in the same firm voice. "Yale."

Flack cleared his throat.

"Mr. and Mrs. Roberts, when was the last time you saw Matt?" he asked.

"Oh," Mr. Roberts said. "He was supposed to be studying. I came in late last night, as did my wife. Our jobs are quite demanding. I knocked on his door around 9, but he didn't answer." He stopped and his shoulders slumped. "I figured he had those headphones on."

"I saw him yesterday morning before he left for school," Mrs. Roberts said. "We chatted about his visit to Europe this summer. He was looking forward to Rome."

She turned and looked straight at Lindsay.

"Why does he have a bruise on his face? Was he mugged? They said his wallet was missing. His watch is gone too. Is that how he died?" her voice rose with each question.

The nausea that had been present in Lindsay's stomach ever since she saw the parents in the hallway threatened to boil over. Lindsay took a deep breath, looked Matthew's mother in the eyes and answered.

"We aren't sure at this point," she said. "It does look like your son was struck by something, however to be completely honest, we don't know how he died."

Lindsay took another breath. "We do know that he may have been at the movies last night, we found a ticket stub in one of his pockets. Can you tell me if he had any plans for last night?"

"What do you mean you don't know how he died?" Mr. Roberts asked Lindsay, his eyes flashing with emotion for the first time. "How can you not know?"

"What we mean is that this may have been a mugging, but we won't know for sure until we examine him further," Lindsay replied calmly.

The brief flash of feeling in Mr. Roberts died and he turned back to the body on the table.

"Do you know of any plans he may have had?" Flack asked.

Mrs. Roberts sighed heavily.

"I think he may have said something about meeting up with his girlfriend last night," she said. She waved her hand in the air a little. "No, not girlfriend. Just a girl, who was a friend. He was always correcting me about that."

"What is her name?" Flack asked opening his notebook.

"Abby. Abby Stephens," Mrs. Roberts said softly. "Such a nice girl. Accepted to Sarah Lawrence I think."

Flack looked over at Lindsay and closed his notebook. She nodded at him, letting him take this part.

"We'll need to hold onto your son's body to examine him," he said apologetically. "Dr. Hammerback will have some papers for you to sign. We may need to talk to you again."

Mr. Roberts nodded. "We understand."

"He was going to go to Yale," Mrs. Roberts repeated.

Flack and Lindsay nodded to Sid and left the parents to grieve.

They headed towards the elevator and when the doors closed Lindsay let out a long sigh. Flack shuffled his feet.

"Something about that seem weird to you?" he asked. Lindsay furrowed her brow.

"Well, people handle grief in all sorts of ways," she said. "But she did seem preoccupied with colleges."

"Yeah, like I said kinda weird. Look, you update Messer. I'll see if we can get hold of this 'girl friend'" Flack said with air quotes.

"Cute," Lindsay said with a slight grin. "Talk to you later."

The elevator doors opened and Lindsay headed down the hallway to her office. Before she reached the door she veered sharply to the right and headed into the ladies' room and into one of the stalls where she swiftly threw up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Push Me**

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Belongs to CBS and all of those people who have a lot more money than I do.

**Spoilers: **Post-Episode 3.19 A Daze of Wine and Roaches

**Summary: **Is Lindsay ready to move forward? And what causes a healthy 17 year old to die of a sudden heart attack? DL

AN: Once again, any scientific jargon comes from Google. And no infringement on any of the establishments or products mentioned is meant. And the bit about the gypsies comes straight from my mother.

A huge, huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. I have replied to a number of you, but the alerts don't seem to be working. So, once again: Thank You!

**Chapter 4**

Lindsay splashed water onto her face and stood over the sink. Her stomach was slowly ceasing to roll and she breathed in and out. She raised her head and looked at her reflection. And cringed. She was pale and had circles under her eyes. She grabbed some paper towels and wiped her face, still looking in the mirror.

"Okay," she thought. "You're okay. You got through actually talking to them and that was good. That was okay. So you threw up. Big deal. People throw up all the time. You aren't weak. You're fine. And maybe if you keep repeating that to yourself, you'll believe it."

Lindsay took another deep breath. Held it. Then let it out slowly. One final look in the mirror and she threw the wadded paper towels in the trash and walked out of the ladies' room.

"Hopefully, I can get to the breath mints before Danny notices," she thought entering their office. Luckily, her partner wasn't at his desk. She breathed a sigh of relief and pulled out a mint and popped it in her mouth.

"Hey Linds," Danny said as he entered the office. "How'd it go?"

"Fine, fine," Lindsay said hurriedly putting the mints back in her drawer. "I mean, they seemed to just be in shock you know. I got the impression they didn't really keep an extremely close eye on their son. But they agreed to help."

Danny leaned against her desk and looked down at her.

Avoiding his eyes, Lindsay pulled a notebook her way and started to list things, "The mom mentioned that Matthew may have gone to the movies with a girl friend last night, Flack's trying to track her down. It was kind of strange though, she kept mentioning Yale. I wonder if they're the kinds of parents that really push their kids to--"

Lindsay stopped talking when she felt Danny's finger gently brush a still water-damp strand of hair off her forehead. She stopped breathing when he pushed it carefully behind her ear and softly traced the shell down to the lobe. Lindsay looked up at him.

Danny smiled a little. "Did good Montana," he said softly. He dropped his hand but stayed propped up against her desk.

Lindsay considered playing dumb. Just dismissing the action and moving on with work. They would keep going with just these little moments here and there and she'd keep everything locked up. Danny didn't need to know the details and she was fine on her own, she could handle anything. She certainly didn't need his support.

"I threw up," she said quickly.

She didn't need his support, but she sure all damn wanted it.

Danny, to his ever-increasing credit, didn't look disgusted. He just kept looking at her with that little smile.

"Good," he said.

"Excuse me?" Lindsay said confused and a little angry. "How is that good? I don't feel good."

He raised his eyebrows and leaned closer to her to peer into her eyes. "You sure about that?"

Lindsay opened her mouth to tell him just exactly how not good she was feeling, but stopped. She turned her head forward and looked out the window. She realized that the grey morning had sure enough turned into a greyer afternoon and that it was most likely going to rain before the day was finished and that she actually felt pretty damn good.

"Huh," was all she said though.

Danny chuckled and moved to his desk. He opened up his email and checked his messages. Five minutes passed and when he looked up he noticed that Lindsay was still looking out the window with a surprised look on her face. Danny chuckled again.

"So," Danny said. "All we're waiting on is Sid to get back to us and Flack to get us some names of our vic's friends?"

"What? Oh! Yes!" Lindsay said. "Um, did you manage to narrow down the gravel suppliers?"

Danny snorted. "Yeah, at least 100 stores in Manhattan sell this stuff. What's so great about fish anyway? They don't do nothing; they just float around with their mouths open," he grumbled. "They're creepy and their eyes are too big."

"Aww, Danny," Lindsay said. "Did someone have a bad experience with a little fishy?"

Danny glared at her and she giggled at the expression. All of a sudden she felt light, like she was filled with helium. When was the last time she felt like this?

"You know the phrase 'he's gonna sleep with the fishes'?" Danny asked her.

Lindsay nodded a little surprised. "Sure."

"Well, I heard that phrase when I was about 4 and it freaked me out," he said. "The thing that popped in my head was sleepin' underwater with all these fish lookin' at me. I asked my pop what it meant and he just sorta looked at me and said it was another way to say someone was dead."

Danny shrugged, "Never really trusted fish after that."

Lindsay watched as his face switched from open and sharing to slightly shocked that he had even said anything. Danny cleared his throat and started to shuffle papers on his desk.

"Oh," Lindsay thought. "This is that communicating thing that wacko Dr. Phil is always going on about."

"Whenever I misbehaved at home, my mom would always threaten to sell me to the gypsies," Lindsay said. Danny's head shot up. She smiled a little. "I've always been a little terrified of carnivals and circuses."

The corner of Danny's mouth quirked up. "And just how much did you misbehave Miss Monroe?"

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about," she said innocently. Her cell phone rang and she went to answer it.

Danny just kept grinning at her as she answered.

"Monroe," she said ignoring him. "Hey Flack, what do you have?"

She paused and began writing stuff down.

"You found her?... This afternoon?… Well, she is the last person have possibly seen him alive… Do you think we can get into his bedroom?... Good… Yeah, I'll tell Danny… Yeah, okay… Thanks, Flack," Lindsay hung up.

"What's up?" Danny asked.

"Matthew Roberts' 'girl friend', Abby Stephens is coming in to talk to us," Lindsay said.

She looked over her scribbles. "And Matthew's parents have said that we can search his room if we have to," she paused. "They say they just want to know what happened."

"I thought you got a weird vibe off them," he said.

"Yeah," she said cringing. "That could have just been me though."

"I doubt it," Danny said. "What seemed off?"

Lindsay schooled her thoughts.

"It was the fixation on schools. Matthew was going to Yale; his friend was going to Sarah Lawrence," she told him. "And that transcript. This guy was really pushing himself academically. Even if you're naturally smart, all those classes and clubs take a lot of work."

"We'll just have to see what Ms. Stephens can tell us," Danny said.

* * *

Abby Stephens was a petite redhead with dark-rimmed glasses. Her blue eyes were red and bloodshot with what Lindsay could only describe as a deep grief and as the detective looked closer, a little hint of guilt seemed to be present also.

One quick glance with Danny decided that the best approach here was going to be the gentle but direct one. Lindsay sat down next to Detective Flack across from Abby. Danny leaned against the wall in the corner.

"Thank you for coming in Miss Stephens," Flack began.

"Sure," Abby said in a voice that was deeper than Lindsay expected. "I really can't believe Matt's dead."

She looked up at the detectives. "I guess everyone always says that huh?"

Lindsay smiled to reassure her. "Abby, what can you tell us? We know Matt went to the movies last night. Did you go with him?"

"Yeah," Abby sighed. "We went to the Angelika. There was a cool David Lynch film playing. We're both fans. We get there and go in and we're sitting in the theatre and, God he just couldn't sit still."

She looked up at them.

"I mean, Matt's normally kind of antsy," she explained. "But this was off the wall. I asked what was up and he just kept saying he was worried about his Calc II exam."

"Did he normally get nervous before exams?" Flack asked.

"Yeah, he did," Abby let out a gust that was part laugh, part sob. "I never understood why though. He always aced them. And this test wasn't until Friday. He had all week to study. But he kept going on and on about how he needed to study more."

"What happened next Abby?" Lindsay prompted.

"The trailers had just started and Matt was still all jittery, I figured it was because of all the caffeine," Abby said. "I swear, it was like he was mainlining Red Bull some days."

The girl fidgeted in her seat a little and looked uncomfortable. But before Lindsay could say anything she started talking again.

"Matt just kept bouncing around and I told him that if he couldn't sit still then maybe he just needed to leave," she said her eyes watering. "And he did. He stood up and yelled that I had no idea what he was going through and that I never understood him and then he just walked out."

Abby looked up at them. "I shouldn't have said anything. I should have just stayed quiet. If I had then he wouldn't have left."

Lindsay's first instinct was to comfort Abby and tell her that Matt's death wasn't her fault. Instead she just asked her,

"What did Matt mean about you not understanding what he was going though? Was he having problems at home?"

Abby shook her head and a few tears leaked out. "No and that's it! I don't _know_ what he was talking about. He was right; I didn't know what he was going through."

She wiped at her face with a shaking hand.

"What happened after he left the theatre Abby?" Danny asked quietly.

"I stayed for a while," she said in a low voice. "For about 30 minutes or so. I figured he had just gone upstairs to the café and would just wait for me. But he wasn't anywhere. I waited around a bit to see if he came back and then I just went home."

"Did you try to get in touch with him after you left?" Lindsay asked.

"No," Abby whispered. "I was pissed off at him. I just went home. I figured I'd chew him out today at school. But he didn't show."

"Abby," Flack began. "Was Matt on any drugs that you know of?"

Abby shook her head. "No, unless you counted all the caffeine stuff. And the smoking I guess."

"Caffeine stuff?" Lindsay asked.

"Yeah," the girl sniffled. "Him and the rest of the elites. They all drank a lot of caffeine drinks and I think they may have taken No-Doz or stuff like it. I never asked."

"The elites?" Danny asked. "Are they a club?"

Abby let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Yeah, sort of," she said. "Basically, it's what we call the guys in our class that are super competitive and get really good grades. They're all off to Ivy League schools and live to impress teachers."

"You don't like them?" Lindsay questioned.

"No, no it's not like that," Abby said shaking her head. "They're okay guys, it's just. There's more to life than school you know? But they never seemed to grasp that fact. I was so happy that Matt wanted to go to the movies. He'd really been pushing himself."

She teared up. "I thought we were just going to chill."

Flack glanced at Lindsay and Danny. Danny nodded at him.

"Thank you for coming in Miss Stephens," Flack said handing Abby a notepad. "If you could, do you think write down some of Matt's friends' names? Maybe the elites?"

She nodded and reached for the notepad

"One last question Abby," Lindsay said. "Do you have any idea where Matt may have gone after he left the theatre?"

"I figured he went home to study," she said. "He could have gone to the library though."

"Which library?" Flack asked.

"Oh, the school library," she said. "It stays open late during the week. Until about 10. Only the seniors are allowed to use it."

She picked up the pen and began to write.

Danny and Lindsay headed towards their office when Danny's cell rang.

"Yeah, Messer," he said. "Sid, what you got?"

Danny's brow furrowed. "Seriously?... Yeah, we'll be right down."

He hung up and looked at Lindsay.

"Sid thinks Matthew Roberts died of a heart attack."

* * *

"Hello detectives," Sid greeted Danny and Lindsay. "I wouldn't normally call you down this quickly but I understand you don't have much to go on. And I found this pretty quickly."

The medical examiner led them to Matthew Roberts' body. He had already made the first incisions and the chest was open, the heart in plain view.

"I haven't removed the heart yet to examine it further, but I can tell you that this young man died from sudden cardiac death," Sid said.

"But," Lindsay started. "He's only 17. How does a kid this young die from a heart attack?"

"Look at the heart here, see how this muscle here is slightly enlarged?" Danny and Lindsay peered at the muscle Sid was indicating.

"Normally, there would need to be some damage to heart already present to cause a death like this," Sid answered her. "And Mr. Roberts here has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy."

"Which is?" Danny asked.

"One of the muscles around the left ventricle is slightly enlarged," Sid pointed out. "Basically the heart begins to beats faster and due to this irregularity, the flow to the heart is obstructed and the heart stops."

"There was nothing in his school file either," Danny said. "How did this go unnoticed? The kid was supposedly healthy."

"We-ell, I don't know about healthy," Sid said his hands going to the victim's mouth. "If you look here, there is some nicotine staining his teeth and gums. He was definitely a smoker. And people who smoke do have a higher risk for cardiac issues. And there are often no symptoms of this particular cardiomyopathy, it doesn't always cause high blood pressure."

Lindsay frowned. "That still doesn't explain _why_ he died so suddenly."

"I know," Sid said. "I've already sent off some blood for a tox screen. It probably won't be ready until tomorrow. I'll examine the heart further and maybe that will reveal some more of this poor young man's demise."

Danny covered up his snort of disbelief at Sid's speech with a cough. Lindsay just shook her head and asked,

"What about that bruise on the side of his face?"

"Ah yes," the ME said. "Definitely not a fatal blow, but certainly hard enough to leave an impression, if you'll pardon the pun."

"Always do," Danny muttered. Lindsay elbowed him.

"Look at the shaping of the bruise," Sid directed them. "See how it's in the shape of triangle?"

Danny and Lindsay cocked their heads to look at the odd bruising. Danny noticed something.

"Those tiny creases there? In a line?" he pointed out. "What does that look like to you Montana?"

Lindsay squinted.

"I can't quite tell." she said. "What's triangular-shaped that would be used to smack someone's head?"

Danny shook his head, his forehead crinkled deep in thought.

"Whatever it was," Sid began. "There wasn't a whole lot of force behind it, no trace was left behind. It was definitely smooth surface apart from those lines."

The detectives slowly straightened and stood in thought. Sid wondered if they realized how in sync their movements were. The ME fought a smile.

"I'm sorry I don't have more detail for you," he said. "I'll have a full report for you in the morning including the stomach contents. The tox results should come in before lunch."

"Thanks Sid," Danny said. "We'll be in touch."

Danny placed his hand on Lindsay lower back to lead her out of the morgue. She stopped suddenly and turned around. Danny's fingers trailed all the way from her back around her side to drop when he realized they were resting on her stomach. He coughed to distract himself from the movement.

"Hypothetically though," Lindsay said trying to ignore the heat that had rushed through her body at Danny's touch. "What would cause this kind of death?"

Sid shrugged and unclipped his glasses. "Any number of things. I'd say an overdose of something for sure, but I'm not seeing any of the usual signs of a serious drug habit. Possibly shock, overexertion, or severe stress. That's all I can really say without any evidence. Does that help at all?"

"Yeah," Lindsay said deep in thought. "Thanks Sid."

The CSI's once again headed out of the morgue. This time, Danny kept his hands to himself.

* * *

Danny and Lindsay were in their office going over the evidence for what felt like millionth time when Mac entered.

"Hey guys," he said. "Where are you on the DB from this morning?"

"Well, according to Sid, COD is sudden cardiac arrest. Why, we don't know yet. We know he was at the movies until about 8:30 pm," Danny informed Mac. "We don't know his whereabouts after that and him being found this morning."

"It's possible he went to the school library to study after he left his friend at the theatre," Lindsay added. "We'll go there in the morning. Parents have given us permission to search his room if we have to."

Mac nodded. "Okay, go to the school. Figure out where he went. Search his bedroom if you have to."

He glanced at the clock. "It's 6:00 p.m., go home you two."

"Mac," Lindsay started to protest.

"As I recall," Mac said over her. "You two were called in this morning at 5:30. You both still have too much overtime. Go home. This will still be here tomorrow."

Lindsay shuffled some papers and Danny looked at his computer.

"It wasn't a suggestion," Mac said with a slight smile.

"Yeah, yeah," Danny said. "We hear ya."

Mac nodded and left their office.

Lindsay sighed. What was at home? Leftovers and television. And stupid nightmares. Swell. Maybe she needed a pet. She straightened her desk and turned off her computer.

"Need a ride home?" Danny asked her.

She opened her mouth to say no and instead said, "Yeah, that'd be great."

Danny grinned a little. "I just gotta run to the locker room. Meet you outside?"

"Okay," she said. Danny got up and headed to the door.

"Danny?" Lindsay called. He stopped and looked at her. She bit her lip and then blurted out, "Would you like to have dinner with me?"

Danny's face froze. And Lindsay began to regret the question, so she started to babble.

"It's just I have all this chilli that I made and it's just going to go bad and I hate wasting food," Lindsay said. "But if you have plans, I'll totally understand and it's really no big deal."

"I'd love to," Danny interrupted grinning. "How can I pass up homemade chilli?"

Lindsay stopped. "Oh, okay. Good." She smiled a little uncertainly.

"See you in a minute," he said and then he was gone.

Lindsay picked up her bag and then set it down again. And then tried to determine if the rolling in her stomach was happiness or panic.


	5. Chapter 5

**Push Me**

**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Belongs to CBS and all of those people who have a lot more money than I do. And _Noises Off_ belongs to it's fantastic creators as well.

**Spoilers: **Post-Episode 3.19 A Daze of Wine and Roaches

**Summary: **Is Lindsay ready to move forward? And what causes a healthy 17 year old to die of a sudden heart attack? DL

AN: A huge Thank You to everyone who has reviewed this. It means so very much to me. The following chapter is pretty short and I apologize. I had a hard time with it. Please let me know what you think. Thank you again!

Chapter 5

The rain started when Danny and Lindsay were halfway to her apartment. It poured down in thick sheets and people were dashing all over the place trying to get under cover. Lindsay was relieved that Danny had to concentrate on the road so she could panic quietly.

"Oh God," she thought. "What was I thinking? Is the place clean? Do I have wine? Do we need to drink anything? That's probably not a good idea. Does he think I'm inviting him up as a friend or as, um, something else? I really hope I cleaned the clothes off the bathroom floor."

They pulled into a spot a few buildings down from Lindsay's apartment.

Danny craned his neck to look up at the rain. He looked over at Lindsay with a very serious expression.

"Well, its raining," he said.

Lindsay looked at him and burst out laughing, her tension slowly fading.

"And that right there is why they hired you isn't it? Those fantastic detecting skills."

Danny grinned. "Well, do you have an umbrella on you or are we gonna have to make a run for it?"

They looked at each other and then around the car in the hopes that an umbrella was lurking somewhere. They looked at each other again, sighed in defeat, reached for their door handles and made a run for it.

"Come on Montana! How hard is it to unlock a door?"

"Hey! You try doing this with wet hands! In the rain!"

"You're a resourceful country girl, let's go!"

"Bite me Messer!"

"You offering?"

"Dear God, do you ever stop? Wait, got it!

Danny and Lindsay stumbled into her apartment building's lobby. Lindsay slammed the door closed and looked over at Danny. His hair was plastered to his head and his glasses were streaked with rainwater. She smirked.

"Can you see anything like that?" she asked making her way to her mailbox.

"I can see a woman who needs to find an apartment with a doorman and a covered walkway," he retorted wiping off his glasses.

Lindsay chuckled and pulled out her mail. Two theatre tickets dropped to the floor. Danny picked them up and looked at them before handing them to Lindsay.

"_Noises Off_?" he said. "What's that?"

"Oh, Jack said he'd put those there," she said looking them over. They were for Saturday night at 8:00 pm. She wasn't on call so maybe she'd be able to make it this time.

"Who's Jack?" Danny asked far too casually.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Lindsay said shutting her mailbox door and walking to the stairs. "He's my neighbour, he's an actor. _Noises Off_ is his new play. Very funny, kind of a sex farce."

"A sex farce huh?" he said as his eyebrows rose. "I am just learnin' all sorts of stuff about you today."

Lindsay blushed and started up the stairs.

"It's actually pretty tame," she said climbing the stairs. "But very funny. They did a movie version years ago with Carol Burnett and Michael Caine. Oh and Christopher Reeve."

"Whoa, whoa," Danny said incredulously. "Superman was in a sex farce?"

Lindsay giggled as she opened the door onto her floor.

"Yeah," she said. "He was wonderful; he stumbled around in boxers and kept getting nosebleeds."

Danny looked horrified. "Now that's just wrong."

Lindsay just giggled and began to unlock her door. The door to the apartment down the hall opened and a tall man with broad shoulders and dark hair and a goatee stepped out.

"Hey there Linds!" he called to Lindsay. "Catch any bad guys today?"

"None today Tony," she called back finally getting her door open. "Ask me again at the end of the week."

"Sure thing," Tony said as he sauntered over. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, Tony, this Danny Messer," she introduced. "Danny, this is Antoine 'Tony' Reed, my neighbour. Danny is my, uh, co-worker, friend, person."

Lindsay mentally slapped her forehead at the ridiculous sentence she had just stumbled through. Tony looked amused and Danny just looked blank.

"How you doin?" Danny said to Tony shaking the offered hand and still looking blank.

"Oh just fine," Tony said with a small smile. He turned to Lindsay. "Did you get the tickets?"

"Oh, yeah," she said carefully wondering what was up with Danny. "I should be able to come. I don't think I'm on call."

"Jack would love to see you there. I think you'll get a kick out of it," he looked Danny over. "You should bring your co-worker-friend here with you."

Lindsay blushed and asked, "Shouldn't you be at the restaurant by now?"

"On my way now," Tony said. "Take care and we'll see you on Saturday. Danny, it was a pleasure."

"Likewise," Danny said with a small grin.

Tony headed down the hall and Danny followed Lindsay into her apartment.

Lindsay hung up her coat and Danny did the same. She looked him over noticing he was still a little wet and then just said, "Wait here."

She went into her bathroom and found a towel for him. He was still standing in the same place. She handed him the towel. Danny took it from her and wiped off his face and head while staring at her.

"Your hair's wet," he said softly. Her hands flew up to her head.

"Oh," she said trying to squeeze out the moisture.

"Wait," he told her and she froze.

Danny took the towel and, still facing her, draped it over her head and slowly massaged the back of her scalp. She could feel each finger moving in precise circles and her eyelids began to get heavy and her lips parted, but she couldn't close her eyes. She kept them on Danny's face. He stopped and stared at her, his hands still on her scalp. He swallowed hard.

And then he was backing up. The abrupt absence of his fingers made Lindsay sway.

"Thanks," she said a little off balance.

"Yeah, sure," he said distractedly.

It was Lindsay's turn to swallow hard.

"Hungry?" she said a little too loudly.

"Yeah," Danny said. "I could eat."

Lindsay headed into the kitchen and called over her shoulder, "It'll take me a few minutes to get some rice going and heat things up. So just make yourself at home. Feel free to turn on the TV or something."

She made it into the kitchen and heard Danny moving around in her living room. She pulled the large bowl of chilli out of the fridge and then pulled out the rice from her cupboard. And stopped. Lindsay placed her hands on her counter and let the coolness of the surface seep into her hands.

"He is out of my league," she thought. "He is completely and totally out of my league. I mean, my God, the things he does to me without even touching my skin. And it's not like you've got a plethora of experience Monroe. He is sex and swagger and you, well, you're the nice girl that the boys take home early."

Lindsay fixed the rice and started to heat up the chilli on the stove.

"Who were you kidding?" she kept thinking. "What is he doing here? He'll get bored. And it'll be tense at work and this is just too much and, and…"

"Hey, whose garden is that down there?" Danny said coming into the kitchen.

Lindsay spun around quickly and almost lost her balance. She clutched at the counter.

"Whoa Montana," he said smiling. "Did I scare you?"

She smiled and nodded. "You have no idea," she thought.

"I was just wondering about the garden down there," he said gesturing to the window. "It's pretty impressive for such a small space."

"Yeah," Lindsay said turning back to stir the chilli. "It's actually a community garden. Tony plants all the vegetables and I generally plant some herbs and stuff. Then Maggie plants the flowers. She's the little old lady on the top floor. She actually owns the building."

Lindsay added the rice to boiling water. "We just sort of trade things for the stuff we want. Like, I'll trade some preserves for some of Tony's tomatoes."

"He, ah, seemed nice," Danny said putting his hands in his pockets.

"Tony? Oh he's a sweetheart," Lindsay said happily. "He and Jack were really nice to me when I moved in. Showed me around the neighbourhood and where market is, stuff like that."

"Nice of them," he said dryly.

"Yeah," she said. "Honestly, its couples like them that give me faith in the rest of humanity."

"Oh!" Danny said brightly. "They're together?"

Lindsay looked over at him. He still had his hands in his pockets, but was rolling on the balls of his feet.

"Um, yeah?" she said. "Why?"

"No reason, no reason," he said suddenly smiling. "Can I help with anything?"

"Um," Lindsay said with a little laugh. "You can get something to drink. I think I've got some beer in the fridge. Or a soda since you're driving. The glasses are in the drying rack"

She turned around to retrieve some plates and bowls from her cupboard. Danny pulled out two Cokes and walked over to the sink. He stopped and backed up and then walked forward again.

"Hey Montana," he said. "Is your floor level?"

Lindsay chuckled. "Nope. Kind of feels like a ship doesn't it?"

"Yeah, something like that," he said filling the glasses with ice and Coke.

"So, Montana," Danny said handing her a glass. "Tell me something."

Lindsay, who had been stirring the chilli, froze.

"What exactly is the difference between chilli and soup?" he asked. "'Cause I know there is one, but I have no idea what it is."

Lindsay looked over her shoulder at Danny, who had a very serious expression on his face. She blinked. And laughed.

"Aw, I give up," she thought helplessly. "He may be out of my league, but no one makes me laugh like this."

"Get over here and stir the chilli cowboy while I make a salad and I'll explain the subtle differences between soups, stews and chilli," Lindsay said thrusting a spoon in his direction.

* * *

"Damn Montana," Danny said. "That was really good. I had no idea you could cook like that."

Dinner had been great. They had discussed the case (still nothing new), the Yankees (Danny was trying to educate Lindsay on the finer points of the game), Mac and Peyton (Lindsay thought it was sweet, Danny refused to use that word to describe his boss' relationship), and their current favorite movies (_Ocean's 11 _for Danny and _Amelie _for Lindsay). Lindsay smiled and began to clear away the dishes.

"Wait, wait," he said getting up to help her. "I got those."

She started to object and Danny overrode her, "You cooked, I'll clean, only fair. Next time when I make dinner, you can clean."

He started the faucet running and began to wash the plates. Lindsay grabbed a towel and started to dry them. Then she realized what he'd said.

"Next time?" she asked casually.

"Yeah," Danny said just as casually. "Next time."

"Okay," Lindsay said softly.

They washed and dried in a comfortable silence, the only sounds heard was the rain outside and the clinking of dishes.

When they finished, Lindsay hung up the dish towel and Danny leaned against the counter and stared at her. She turned to face him and adopted his pose. He smiled at her.

"I should probably go," he said. "Busy day tomorrow and all."

"Yeah," Lindsay nodded. "We have to visit the high school and talk to the friends."

"True," Danny said not moving. "Thank you for a very good dinner. I'd like to return the favour."

"I think I'd like that," she said with a grin. "The great Danny Messer cooking that is."

Danny shifted and moved towards the door. "Careful, Montana. You might be surprised at my skills in the kitchen."

"I don't doubt that Messer," Lindsay said. "I find myself constantly surprised by you."

Danny turned to her with a very pleased look on his face. He walked closer to her and stopped just within arms reach. The pleasant tingles in Lindsay's stomach began to shift and twirl.

"So, I'm thinking that this qualified as a date," he said. "What about you?"

Lindsay blushed but met his gaze.

"I'm thinking that it qualified too," she answered.

He moved a little closer.

"I'm also thinking that since this qualified as a date," he said softly. "A goodnight kiss might be in order."

Lindsay caught her breath.

"I think that could be arranged," she said.

"Another thing to keep in mind," Danny whispered. He leaned even closer. Lindsay closed her eyes. She felt his right hand curl around her waist while he let the backs of the fingers on his left hand sweep her hair aside and then settle on the back of her neck. His breath ghosted over her lips and cheek. She then felt his lips on her neck in a touch so brief she wasn't even sure it happened. Danny stopped and then, his nose rubbed against the place his lips had touched.

Lindsay opened her eyes wide as he pulled back. His hands slipped from her neck and waist to clench into fists at his side. Danny's blue eyes were so dilated they were almost black. They stared at each other for a moment and then he grinned.

"See you tomorrow Montana," he said. And then he was gone.

"Bye," Lindsay said absently to the closed door.

She walked into her living room and turned off the lights. She went to the bathroom and washed her face and brushed her teeth. Then she changed into her pyjamas and set her alarm. She turned off the bedroom lights and laid down. All of a sudden it struck her and she sat upright.

"Oh my God," Lindsay said out loud to her room. "Did he just nudge me?"


End file.
